Monday, June 13, 2016

This one-minute video from Detroit Zoo will make you feel all the feels

The Detroit Zoo launched a new campaign this week called "A Zoo That Could" aimed at highlighting what it does beyond its 125 acres.

“Most people expect they are going to visit a wonderful zoo – a beautiful, natural space that provides a great experience for people and for animals. What they ultimately discover is that the Detroit Zoo is and does so much more,” Detroit Zoo Executive Director and CEO Ron Kagan said in a press release.

“This campaign changes the conversation and explains what we do and why we do it," Kagan added. "We hope it will educate and inspire the community to think of their Zoo in a whole new way.”

"A Zoo That Could" will feature poetry, art, and animation to "provide an expanded view of the Detroit Zoo's impact on wildlife, wild places and the community." The campaign focuses on conservation, animal welfare, sustainability, education, and community.

The video's description captures the mission of the new campaign best:

There are all the things a zoo should be.
Then there are all the things a zoo would be.
Which leads us to the really exciting possibility of what a zoo could be.
A place that not only conserves, but generates power.
A place that not only inspires its community, but the world entire.
A place that cares not just for the animals within its care, but for all those around the globe.
Well, ladies and gentle people, we are precisely that zoo.
Not merely a zoo that should or would.
The Detroit Zoo is The Zoo That Could.

The ultimate goal of the campaign is to showcase that the zoo is more than just a place to spend an afternoon, it's a national leader and innovator among the zoological community.

"A place that not only conserves, but generates power" eludes to the biodigester the Detroit Zoo is building. With it, the zoo will become the first zoo in the country to convert more than 400 tons of animal manure into compost and then capture the byproduct to help power its animal hospital.

Another factoid: the Detroit Zoo was the first zoo to get rid of elephants for ethical reasons, which inspired other zoos to follow suit. Last year, it stopped selling plastic water bottles which will keep 60,000 plastic bottles out of landfills each year. The zoo currently gets its power with 100 percent renewable electricity from wind farms.

With all these advances, its no wonder the zoo calls itself "a place that not only inspires its community, but the world entire."

To learn more Detroit Zoo's efforts through "A Zoo That Could" you can visit thezoothatcould.org.